The present invention relates to spectral Doppler ultrasound. Spectral Doppler ultrasound imaging provides an image of velocity (vertical axis) modulated by energy as a function of time (horizontal axis). These spectra may be used for studying fluid flow or tissue motion within a patient. By transmitting a plurality of pulses at a single gate location, a spectral Doppler response is generated with received echo signals. The frequency spectrum of the object's motion or flow for a single spatial region is estimated and displayed as a function of time. Flow or tissue deformation parameters may be derived from the acquisition.
To indicate the location of the gate, the spectral Doppler image is frequently provided with a B-mode and/or color flow mode (F-mode) image. These other images are acquired by ultrasound transmission. To provide this other information, the acquisition of data for spectral Doppler images may be interrupted. These interruptions result in gaps in the spectral Doppler data. When the spectral Doppler image is generated, gap artifacts result. FIG. 1 shows an example spectral Doppler image with a plurality of gap artifacts. The gap artifacts appear as vertical streaks.